Page 1 of 1 The Ford F-150 Lightning Rod was launched at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show. Its htattooed appearance is inspired by the resurgence of rock-and-roll and the current fascination with body art. The Lightning Rod is an F-150 pick-up truck - the number-one-selling full-size pick-up for the past 2 decades - which has been lowered and stretched. The roof has been chopped one-inch, the overhangs have been shortened, and the exterior body panels have been cleaned up and finished in a cherry red metallic paint giving the Lightning Rod a sleek, hot-rod, performance look.The conventional headlamps and taillamps have been replaced with twin horizontal neon tubes. A deeply recessed custom aluminium grille features horizontal bars and is reminiscent of the popular muscle cars of the 1960s.The leather-wrapped tonneau cover features a tattoo that is die cut into the leather with black cow hair in the cutout portions that was inspired by the Maori, the Polynesian people of New Zealand. In moko, a type of Maori tattooing, shallow colored grooves in complex curvilinear designs were produced on the face by striking a miniature bone adze into the skin. Tattooed designs are thought by various peoples to provide magical protection against sickness or misfortune, or they serve to identify the wearer's rank, status or membership in a group. Page 1 of 1